the Broken Pencil interview circa. 1999
BRADO CREAMED CORN INTERVIEWED VIA E MAIL BY DAVE CHOKROUN FOR BROKEN PENCIL. THIS IS THE SEMI-ENTIRE INTERVIEW, AS BROKEN PENCIL'S VERSION WAS CUT DOWN FOR SPACE LIMITATIONS (I ASSUME)
HOW DID YOU COME TO BE BRADO CREAMED CORN? WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS MONIKER?
my real first name is brad, one day in high school a musician friend of mine was walkin' down the hallway and after i called out a silly made-up moniker of his name, he responded "Brad-o", when i heard it, i asked him how he called my name, because the only other moniker for me before that was "bradicus", and i liked "brado", so brado i became. the "creamed corn" became an add on to go with my band persona in MALICKIS HAPPY CORN CLUB, just to add some silly spark, and i've kept it ever since, although with the current band MEDIA CRACK i go by "brado crack". what i like about the "creamed corn" add on is that by co-incidence, one of my fav. bands, the BUTTHOLE SURFERS have an album partly titled with "CREAM CORN..."
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU SEEN 'CHILDREN OF THE CORN' AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?
i've seen that movie a couple times, and it's cool, the kid (apparently already dead and standing up) gettin' hit on the road scene's a surefire classic. the storyline itself is simply "And a child shall lead them...", the children take over and innocence is lost - really it's a LORD OF THE FLIES deal, with some help from satan or whatever.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE BANDS? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO LATELY?
Currently, the indie music i'm into is Toronto, Ontario outfits PARTS UNKNOWN & THE DINNER IS RUINED BAND. I am saddened that GLUELEG is defunct. I have very recently been getting into a really crazy pre-BUTTHOLE SURFERS-type band called CHROME, really cool, as well as HELIOS CREED (whom is also a member of CHROME) GARY NUMAN & THE TUBEWAY ARMY's REPLICAS album. All of these artists' music will have a definite influence, along with attitude in what is currently and to come of my work.
HOW DID MHCC GET STARTED? DID YOU PLAY LIVE, OR WAS IT MORE OF A RECORDING THING? WHAT KIND OF RESPONSE DID YOU GET AT LIVE SHOWS?
MHCC was a band spanning over eight years, of which i joined after it was sort of a band, and guided into what it became infamous for. We played a lot in the Niagara Region, becoming banned by many clubs, and animosity was quite alive when it came to mentioning the band MHCC. Still today the legend thrives. The audiences loved us, and i know we are surely missed - although now defunct, you never know, and i keep the MHCC discography available.
WHAT ARE THE CONCEPTS BEHIND THE OTHER PROJECTS YOU DID (KOKA KOLA HIT MEN AND THE ANTI-SM*RF BAND)?
Same as MHCC. Just different line-ups. It's song genre is basically a GWAR/DAYGLO ABORTIONS/BUTTHOLE SURFERS., one of GWAR's albums actually features an 8-note riff my band created/copyrighted and released (we had sent their label a copy of our release well over a year before they released their album)
WHY DID YOU SWITCH OVER FROM PLAYING PUNK/GARAGE STUFF WITH MHCC TO DOING ELECTRONIC STUFF?
MHCC broke up due to some bad blood and the desire for different ventures. With that, i began the electronic experimentation. It wasn't planned, i surprised myself. Currently, i'm writin' dance songs. I can't believe it myself. I am actually somewhat happy about this, as the OLD SCHOOL PUNK music style i had going was done, and there was no where else to go with that. With my new electronic style, I have opened myself to endless possibilities, exploring many genres, and in my belief inventing new ones. It's exciting and relaxing. No more headaches for me worrying about irresponsible band members.
HAVE YOU, PERSONALLY, EVER BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ALIEN SIGHTING / ABDUCTION?
Since it opened 3 years ago, I work at ALIEN ENCOUNTER in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It's an animated alien attraction: it has two parts, a museum and a haunted house-type section. It's really cool and fun. My job is varied, but mainly i do a skit, then scare the hell out of tourists. I work in the dark for most of the shift.
IS THERE A REASON WHY ALIENS WOULD TAKE A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN NIAGARA FALLS?
I figure the amount of radiation and other crazy chemicals in the Niagara River and the city would be of some use to them. As well, I'm sure they have a deal with the mafia, you know, illegal aliens, and we are a major border town giving way for a convenient international incident if the aliens wanted.
YOU'RE A ZINE/CHAPBOOK CREATOR AS WELL AS DOING MUSIC STUFF - CAN YOU GIVE OUT SOME INFO ON MENTAL MAGAZINE AND YOUR BOOKS?
MENTAL magazine is an indie publication that does the standard reviews that BROKEN PENCIL does, as well as interviews with bands. My books are basically underground chapbooks of my distasteful, warped sense of humour lyrics. I run my own label, MENTAL RECORDS, which should have a brighter future, as I am currently closing the deal on a FORGOTTEN REBELS tribute album I've been workin' on for awhile already.
WHAT DOES 'INDIE' MEAN TO YOU AND HOW DO YOU THINK THE CONCEPT OF INDIE MUSIC IS USED/ABUSED?
What i experience as indie is being a starving artist, a talent obscured and not even given a chance, managing themselves on the DiY ethic. Some indie bands being distro. by major labels and having the classification of indie seems to be an abuse in the benefit of the corporate crunch, marketing to the gullible masses. Only the real underground sees the real deal. At the risk of harming my musical career (oh well...) artists like GG ALLIN and EL DUCE of THE MENTORS lived and died by their own sword, I'm not convinced on if their deaths were suicides, but nonetheless how they lived their lives brought about their ends. They will always be remembered for their brutal and rhetorical reflections of reality. What is interesting to see is a rap artist such as TUPAC, who i assume was quite wealthy, before he was murdered, was kickin' the crap outta someone (gang related). A wealthy man, outta the slums, livin' true to his ways. Strange, but at least you know he was standin' by his convictions.
HAVE YOU ACCEPTED SATAN AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOUR?
i believe in a god, and believe as long as i am just with the way i live my life, that i'll make it in the afterlife alright. my ways are sorta tongue-in-cheek. Watch Todd McF's various SPAWN movies, it'll give you some ideas on how to live.
IS THE APOCALYPSE UPON US? WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE TURN OF THE NEW MILLENIUM?
Just wait and see. I'm surprised we as humans have gotten this far and survived, the way we treat this planet and it's gifts/life.
